Latina and Latino Children's Mental Health

by Cabrera, Natasha J.; Villarruel, Francisco; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.

• ISBN13: 9780313382963
• ISBN10: 0313382964
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-02-02
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

What effect does growing up in an ethnic minority and perhaps in an immigrant family have on development? That is the overarching question Latina/o Children and Mental Health sets out to answer. The work examines all of the myriad physical, psychological, social, and environmental factors that undermine, or support, healthy development in Latino American children, from biology to economics to public policy.The first volume of this two-volume set focuses on early-life experiences and the second on youth/adolescent issues, treating such topics as children's development of a sense of self, development of linguistic skills, peer relationships, sexual orientation, and physical development. The work analyzes familial relationships, often an important resource that helps young people build resilience despite the stresses of migration. And it looks at patterns of behavior, social status, and social-goal orientations that differentiate Latino/a children and adolescents from their African American and European American peers.